Review responses:
Cantora: Yes, yes, those cliffies are quite nasty sometimes . . . but I luff them!
*snugs her cliffies* Thank you for your constant reviews!!
Erisinia: Running running running!! MUST RUN!!! O,o Sorry about that . . . glad
I can get ya pumped about something!
Darlene5: Yes, they do, don't they? But don't worry; soon everything will be all
right . . . or will it?? DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN
SilverKnight7: Erm . . . okay . . .
Chapter Fourteen
The sun had just begun to climb over the eastern hills the next morning when the search party reached the spot where Gilraeth had been taken. There, they stopped, and Glorfindel recounted what had happened as far as he knew. As his final words hung in the damp, moisture-ridden air, an ominous silken fell over the group. Each Elf there knew Gilraeth, and of his story. They all held a soft spot in their hearts for the pen-neth. There was a feeling of loss that clung to their hearts as the humidity clung to their skin. But with that loss also came a sense of duty, and for some, anger. It was mostly felt by those who were particularly close to the boy - Elrond, Glorfindel, and Elrohir. But all in the clearing that morning were driven to find Gilraeth at any cost.
Elrond finally broke the silence with a heavy, weary sigh. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was tired. He had not slept at all last night, using all of his strength to get Glorfindel's leg as mended as completely as possible. However, he would lead the search party until Gilraeth was found, no matter how many sleepless nights he had to endure.
"All right, then. There are forty here. Spread yourselves out in groups of at least three, if not more. Elrohir, Glorfindel, and Erestor - you come with me. The rest of you get together in your own parties and fan out to either side of my group."
As he spoke, Glorfindel handed out small horns to groups that had already formed and those that were still being made. He walked with a limp, and there was still need for a bandage under his leggings, but the wound was almost completely healed. This did not, however, inhibit the pain, but Glorfindel said nothing as he finished his task and stood beside Elrohir with a small wince of discomfort.
"If you party is in danger, or if you find Gilraeth, use these, and someone shall assist you," Elrond continued. Again, silence came over the group, but it only lasted for a second as Elrohir shifted and said, "Well, come on, then! Let's get started!"
Elrond, Glorfindel, Erestor, and Elrohir searched the ground for tracks, though it was a tedious process. The grass was springy and left little marks. However, Elrond was able to spot heavy boot tracks at the edge of the forest, leading west, just as Glorfindel had said. Carefully, they followed the prints, which were none too stealthily placed, and therefore, easy to track. For an hour, the four Elves followed the man's prints, occasionally spotting places where Gilraeth had been set down to walk beside his captor.
Once, Erestor saw that Gilraeth's tracks ran away from the man's. Glorfindel and Elrohir investigated this while Elrond and Erestor stayed with the main trail. Glorfindel and Elrohir found that Gilraeth had not gotten far before the man's tracks covered them and turned back to the main path. Glorfindel straightened as he found this out and sighed, looking to Elrohir.
"At least he attempted to escape. I can only hope we come to find Gilraeth before it is too late."
They joined back up with the others and continued to track the footprints, going as quickly and yet as carefully as they could. They only had brief halts, and those were few and far between. The morning had passed before the first stop. They all sat down, except for Glorfindel, who stood, looking west, deep in thought. Erestor handed out small portions of lembas and water, but Glorfindel refused at first.
"Glorfindel, you must at least drink something," Elrohir insisted. "You must keep up your strength if we are to find Gilraeth."
"We need everyone to be as strong and healthy as possible," Erestor added.
"We cannot risk the chance of you or anyone else becoming tired and weary when we have to power to prevent it," Elrond said softly. "As a group, we are only as strong as each other. If one of us fails, we all fail."
Glorfindel turned to Elrond, slightly irritated, but trying to keep his anger under control. "And what about you, Elrond?"
The Peredhel looked up, startled, his brow furrowed. "What?"
"You did not sleep at all last night, and look at you. You're tired. We can all see it."
Elrond drew himself up proudly. "Yes, and I'm glad I did not sleep, for your sake. If I didn't spend the time to get that wound healed as much as possible, you would not be here. You would be lying in a bed in the healing wing, worrying yourself sick. I took the risk of being weary today so you could be out here with us, searching for Gilraeth. So do not talk to me about being tired!"
Glorfindel recoiled at Elrond's sharpness of his last sentence, completely subdued. In silence, he sat down beside Elrohir and took a draught of water and a wafer of lembas from Erestor. No one spoke until Elrohir stood and looked at the group. Erestor seemed torn between his two superiors. Glorfindel was brooding and depressed, and Elrond was uptight and stressed.
This wasn't good at all. If they did not unite to find Gilraeth, they would be unsuccessful. It was as if they'd quit already, and not because they'd lost hope, but because they were dogging on each other.
"All right, you've had your time to think," Elrohir said quietly. "Before we continue, Glorfindel . . . father . . . you must stop bickering. Please. It's the only way we can truly come together to find Gilraeth. That is why we are here, after all. It's not about us . . . it is about the boy."
Silence followed Elrohir's words, and the looks he received made him feel uneasy and foolish. He blinked slowly and looked from Elf to Elf. Erestor finally stood and walked until he was beside Elrond's son, looking slightly uneasy, yet unnaturally confident.
"Elrohir is right. You both must stop this nonsense and think of Gilraeth. For all our sakes, but especially the pen-neth's. Already we have lost precious time just by sitting here. Come now, Elrond . . . Glorfindel . . ."
The two sitting Elves looked at each other, each subdued by Elrohir's and Erestor's words. Glorfindel offered a small smile, which Elrond returned.
"My apologies," Glorfindel said, standing and offering a hand to Elrond.
"I am sorry as well, Glorfindel," Elrond replied, accepting his hand and using it to pull himself up. There was a sense of peace as the four of them came together and started off once more on the trail of Gilraeth.
They kept strictly to the main trail. The sun began her descent before they discovered something new. Glorfindel found that Gilraeth escaped once more from his captor, running north. This time, Erestor and Elrond followed his trail, leaving the others to the main path. Gilraeth had gotten quite far this time. Elrond and Erestor came around a bend, and then Elrond stopped in front of his advisor with a startled cry. Erestor followed his gaze and then gasped out loud.
There upon the ground was Gilraeth's captor, slain. Elrond recognized him as the man who had been his guest, the same one Glorfindel had sent away from Imaldris after slandering his son. So this was his idea of revenge.
"Those who seek evil are sure to find it," Erestor murmured, echoing Elrond's thoughts.
"That is true, Erestor. Yet this is a strange riddle."
He kneeled upon the ground, where Gilraeth's tracks stopped and new, larger yet lighter tracks took over and ran northwest.
"Someone slayed the man and took Gilraeth for himself, heading northwest," Elrond continued. "Some further north than us will more than likely find the same tracks."
Suddenly, the air was broken by a horn call from the north, as if Elrond's words had done the trick. Erestor's and Elrond's heads perked up at this, and they ran in the direction of the horn. Not far behind came Glorfindel and Elrohir. As they ran, the horn continued to sound, not pleadingly, but urgently all the same.
Soon, the four Elves came upon a group of three others. One of them stepped forward to Elrond.
"My lord, there are light tracks here, heading for this direction," he motioned. "We followed them a ways, and then they just stopped entirely, as if the person had sprouted wings and flew away."
More Elves came from every direction, until all forty were assembled once more. All looked to Elrond and Glorfindel for direction.
"We should make camp for the night," one suggested, who stood close to Elrohir. Glorfindel nodded, and so did Elrond.
"All right. It would be better to solve this puzzle in the morning light, anyway," Elrond said, looking on as the sun slowly sank behind the western horizon.
Cantora: Yes, yes, those cliffies are quite nasty sometimes . . . but I luff them!
*snugs her cliffies* Thank you for your constant reviews!!
Erisinia: Running running running!! MUST RUN!!! O,o Sorry about that . . . glad
I can get ya pumped about something!
Darlene5: Yes, they do, don't they? But don't worry; soon everything will be all
right . . . or will it?? DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN
SilverKnight7: Erm . . . okay . . .
Chapter Fourteen
The sun had just begun to climb over the eastern hills the next morning when the search party reached the spot where Gilraeth had been taken. There, they stopped, and Glorfindel recounted what had happened as far as he knew. As his final words hung in the damp, moisture-ridden air, an ominous silken fell over the group. Each Elf there knew Gilraeth, and of his story. They all held a soft spot in their hearts for the pen-neth. There was a feeling of loss that clung to their hearts as the humidity clung to their skin. But with that loss also came a sense of duty, and for some, anger. It was mostly felt by those who were particularly close to the boy - Elrond, Glorfindel, and Elrohir. But all in the clearing that morning were driven to find Gilraeth at any cost.
Elrond finally broke the silence with a heavy, weary sigh. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was tired. He had not slept at all last night, using all of his strength to get Glorfindel's leg as mended as completely as possible. However, he would lead the search party until Gilraeth was found, no matter how many sleepless nights he had to endure.
"All right, then. There are forty here. Spread yourselves out in groups of at least three, if not more. Elrohir, Glorfindel, and Erestor - you come with me. The rest of you get together in your own parties and fan out to either side of my group."
As he spoke, Glorfindel handed out small horns to groups that had already formed and those that were still being made. He walked with a limp, and there was still need for a bandage under his leggings, but the wound was almost completely healed. This did not, however, inhibit the pain, but Glorfindel said nothing as he finished his task and stood beside Elrohir with a small wince of discomfort.
"If you party is in danger, or if you find Gilraeth, use these, and someone shall assist you," Elrond continued. Again, silence came over the group, but it only lasted for a second as Elrohir shifted and said, "Well, come on, then! Let's get started!"
Elrond, Glorfindel, Erestor, and Elrohir searched the ground for tracks, though it was a tedious process. The grass was springy and left little marks. However, Elrond was able to spot heavy boot tracks at the edge of the forest, leading west, just as Glorfindel had said. Carefully, they followed the prints, which were none too stealthily placed, and therefore, easy to track. For an hour, the four Elves followed the man's prints, occasionally spotting places where Gilraeth had been set down to walk beside his captor.
Once, Erestor saw that Gilraeth's tracks ran away from the man's. Glorfindel and Elrohir investigated this while Elrond and Erestor stayed with the main trail. Glorfindel and Elrohir found that Gilraeth had not gotten far before the man's tracks covered them and turned back to the main path. Glorfindel straightened as he found this out and sighed, looking to Elrohir.
"At least he attempted to escape. I can only hope we come to find Gilraeth before it is too late."
They joined back up with the others and continued to track the footprints, going as quickly and yet as carefully as they could. They only had brief halts, and those were few and far between. The morning had passed before the first stop. They all sat down, except for Glorfindel, who stood, looking west, deep in thought. Erestor handed out small portions of lembas and water, but Glorfindel refused at first.
"Glorfindel, you must at least drink something," Elrohir insisted. "You must keep up your strength if we are to find Gilraeth."
"We need everyone to be as strong and healthy as possible," Erestor added.
"We cannot risk the chance of you or anyone else becoming tired and weary when we have to power to prevent it," Elrond said softly. "As a group, we are only as strong as each other. If one of us fails, we all fail."
Glorfindel turned to Elrond, slightly irritated, but trying to keep his anger under control. "And what about you, Elrond?"
The Peredhel looked up, startled, his brow furrowed. "What?"
"You did not sleep at all last night, and look at you. You're tired. We can all see it."
Elrond drew himself up proudly. "Yes, and I'm glad I did not sleep, for your sake. If I didn't spend the time to get that wound healed as much as possible, you would not be here. You would be lying in a bed in the healing wing, worrying yourself sick. I took the risk of being weary today so you could be out here with us, searching for Gilraeth. So do not talk to me about being tired!"
Glorfindel recoiled at Elrond's sharpness of his last sentence, completely subdued. In silence, he sat down beside Elrohir and took a draught of water and a wafer of lembas from Erestor. No one spoke until Elrohir stood and looked at the group. Erestor seemed torn between his two superiors. Glorfindel was brooding and depressed, and Elrond was uptight and stressed.
This wasn't good at all. If they did not unite to find Gilraeth, they would be unsuccessful. It was as if they'd quit already, and not because they'd lost hope, but because they were dogging on each other.
"All right, you've had your time to think," Elrohir said quietly. "Before we continue, Glorfindel . . . father . . . you must stop bickering. Please. It's the only way we can truly come together to find Gilraeth. That is why we are here, after all. It's not about us . . . it is about the boy."
Silence followed Elrohir's words, and the looks he received made him feel uneasy and foolish. He blinked slowly and looked from Elf to Elf. Erestor finally stood and walked until he was beside Elrond's son, looking slightly uneasy, yet unnaturally confident.
"Elrohir is right. You both must stop this nonsense and think of Gilraeth. For all our sakes, but especially the pen-neth's. Already we have lost precious time just by sitting here. Come now, Elrond . . . Glorfindel . . ."
The two sitting Elves looked at each other, each subdued by Elrohir's and Erestor's words. Glorfindel offered a small smile, which Elrond returned.
"My apologies," Glorfindel said, standing and offering a hand to Elrond.
"I am sorry as well, Glorfindel," Elrond replied, accepting his hand and using it to pull himself up. There was a sense of peace as the four of them came together and started off once more on the trail of Gilraeth.
They kept strictly to the main trail. The sun began her descent before they discovered something new. Glorfindel found that Gilraeth escaped once more from his captor, running north. This time, Erestor and Elrond followed his trail, leaving the others to the main path. Gilraeth had gotten quite far this time. Elrond and Erestor came around a bend, and then Elrond stopped in front of his advisor with a startled cry. Erestor followed his gaze and then gasped out loud.
There upon the ground was Gilraeth's captor, slain. Elrond recognized him as the man who had been his guest, the same one Glorfindel had sent away from Imaldris after slandering his son. So this was his idea of revenge.
"Those who seek evil are sure to find it," Erestor murmured, echoing Elrond's thoughts.
"That is true, Erestor. Yet this is a strange riddle."
He kneeled upon the ground, where Gilraeth's tracks stopped and new, larger yet lighter tracks took over and ran northwest.
"Someone slayed the man and took Gilraeth for himself, heading northwest," Elrond continued. "Some further north than us will more than likely find the same tracks."
Suddenly, the air was broken by a horn call from the north, as if Elrond's words had done the trick. Erestor's and Elrond's heads perked up at this, and they ran in the direction of the horn. Not far behind came Glorfindel and Elrohir. As they ran, the horn continued to sound, not pleadingly, but urgently all the same.
Soon, the four Elves came upon a group of three others. One of them stepped forward to Elrond.
"My lord, there are light tracks here, heading for this direction," he motioned. "We followed them a ways, and then they just stopped entirely, as if the person had sprouted wings and flew away."
More Elves came from every direction, until all forty were assembled once more. All looked to Elrond and Glorfindel for direction.
"We should make camp for the night," one suggested, who stood close to Elrohir. Glorfindel nodded, and so did Elrond.
"All right. It would be better to solve this puzzle in the morning light, anyway," Elrond said, looking on as the sun slowly sank behind the western horizon.